Over the past few years, 3D printing has transformed into a very trendy technology in the fashion industry, with runways all over the world being taken over by 3D printed clothes and accessories. While this usually results quirky designs and rather rigid outfits, professional 3D modeler Aiman Akhtar has taken this trend into overdrive. He recently created a gorgeous 3D printed dress that looks to come straight out of the Star Trek universe.

This fantastic dress was the culmination of a yearlong project for 3D World Magazine, who commissioned Aiman Akhtar to create a unique, top level 3D print each month. Aiman himself is a professional 3D modeler based in Los Angeles who works for top level 3D printing service 3Dsmiths. Building on those experiences of every month, Aiman wanted his final iteration to encompass all those previous stages. As that range of projects featured very futuristic shapes, he quickly decided to create a Sci-Fi inspired dress that takes full advantage of 3D printing technology – meaning lots of shapes that cannot be manufactured in any other way.

And that essentially describes the result, which is visible above. To ensure a perfect fit for model Jessica Dru Johnson, Aiman began by 3D scanning her. Using those scans as a base, he extracted shapes from her contours and created various form-fitting components that together form an inspiring outfit. All design work was done in ZBrush software.

When settling on the design, Aiman turned to the high quality Form 1+ desktop SLA 3D printer. As he explained, he first 3D printed the core components of the outfit (the breastplates and straps) before realizing the various accessories – which could only be 3D printed using stereolithography technology. “I love the detail I can get out of my Form 1+. My process is constantly evolving requiring a versatile and reliable high quality 3D printer,” he said.

But as you can see in the photos above, his work wasn’t over yet. After a number of iterations, Aiman chose to incorporate some electronics for a truly futuristic experience. Using a number of LEDs and optic fiber cables, a result is created that wouldn’t look bad in, say, Star Trek or Guardians of the Galaxy. While we doubt this stunning outfit will become fashionable in the near future, it is nonetheless a stellar example of what quality 3D printing technology can bring to the world of fashion.